It has been heretofore suggested that containers have been stacked one on another with portions adapted to interengage and provide stability. Typical constructions are: U.S. Pat. No. 2,641,374 showing glass containers; U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,872 showing metal beer kegs; U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,052 showing plastic bottles with handles; U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,705 showing plastic drums; U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,828 showing plastic containers; U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,793 showing plastic blow molded containers; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,199 showing plastic containers stackable on their sides.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a stackable plastic container which is light in weight; which can be made by extrusion blow molding or injection extrusion and blow molding; which has closures with measuring capability; and which will effectively permit stacking of one container on another.
In accordance with the invention, a stackable plastic container including a body having a generally rectangular cross section includes a base wall, sidewalls and end walls, the width of the sidewalls being greater than the width of the end walls. The body has a top wall with an integral neck defining a dispensing opening. The bottom wall has spaced longitudinally extending integral portions defining a longitudinal recess extending lengthwise of the bottom wall and generally parallel to the sidewall. The top wall of the body includes a centrally located longitudinally extending projection extending upwardly and defining spaced longitudinally extending generally horizontal portions lengthwise of the sidewalls such that when one container is stacked on another, the longitudinally extending portions of the top wall are engaged by the longitudinally extending spaced projections on the bottom wall of a container stacked thereon.